iOS 11: 14 reasons this will be the biggest upgrade yet

Your iPhone and iPad are about to get a lot better, because iOS 11 is landing this autumn and it’s set to be one of the biggest and best updates to Apple’s mobile OS yet.

How do we know that? Because it’s already been announced, and in fact it’s even out in the wild, with brave beta testers trying it out as we type.

As such we know much of what there is to know about it, and that’s enough to get us very excited. We’ve highlighted the top new features and improvements below, so read them, get excited, and get ready to breathe new life into your device.

1. Desktop-level multitasking

If you have an iPad then this could be the single biggest new feature for you. Apple is adding a dock with iOS 11, a lot like the one you’ll find on Mac.

You can access it with a single swipe whatever app you’re in and you can customise what it gives shortcuts to, though it’s also smart, providing shortcuts to recently used apps on its right edge, and even taking account of the apps you use on other Apple devices, like your iPhone 7 or your Mac.

This makes switching apps a lot faster and easier and also therefore helps with multitasking. Speaking of multitasking, you’ll also find the dock in the main multitasking menu, which itself has had an overhaul, and now shows recent apps in a grid, so you can easily jump around.

2. Drag and drop anything anywhere

You can already view two apps in split screen on an iPad, but with iOS 11 this becomes easier than ever, as you simply have to drag an app to the edge of the screen to open it in split screen.

But that’s just the start of the fun. You’ll also now be able to drag images, text links and files from one app to another, bringing your iPad far closer to the power of a computer.

It’s a feature that won’t initially be available on iPhone, but crafty developers have already found the capability hidden away in the beta, so Apple may one day enable it.

3. A proper file browser

iOS finally has a file browser with iOS 11. Simply called Files, this makes it far easier to find documents, music and other files hidden away on your device, as you can browse folders or simply search for the file in question.

But we’re not just talking local files, as Files is also connected to iCloud, along with other cloud storage services such as Dropbox, so you can pull in files that you have stored online too.

Of course, these cloud services have their own apps already, but Files puts them all in one place, so wherever you’ve stored things you should be able to find them here.

4. An interface overhaul for more control

Aspects of iOS are going to look completely different with iOS 11, and nowhere is that clearer than the Control Centre. Now, everything will be visible on one screen, rather than requiring extra swipes to reach, so those quick toggles really will be quick.

You’ll also now be able to access the notification centre from the lock screen with a swipe, letting you see any older notifications that you’d otherwise have to unlock your device to view. This again makes things quicker and easier than the current method.

5. A new look to the App Store

And the interface changes aren’t limited to your home and lock screens, you’ll also find a whole new look in the App Store.

It’s now a lot more colourful, with big images on the pages, along with deeper insight into apps, and new app picks highlighted every day.

In all, the App Store should now be both more aesthetically pleasing and make discovering new apps easier and more fun.

6. Keyboard shortcuts

Another iPad exclusive: Apple is changing the keyboard so that numbers, punctuation and symbols are all accessible from the main keyboard screen with a flick.

Currently you have to tap between several different keyboards, which is slow and tiresome. Having everything in one place will make spotting the key you’re looking for easier, and accessing it a lot faster.

This might sound like a small update, but if you do much typing on your iPad and haven’t invested in a physical keyboard it could massively speed things up.

7. Smarter Siri

Siri generally gets improved in some way with each new version of iOS, and iOS 11 is no exception. Apple’s AI assistant should soon sound more human and less like a robot, making it more pleasant to interact with.

And those interactions will go further, with Siri better able to contextually understand things and predict what you might want based on for example, where you are and what time it is.

8. Indoor Apple Maps

Apple Maps has come a long way since its disastrous launch. Now, it’s a strong alternative to Google Maps when navigating outside, but with iOS 11 it’s going inside too.

Large public buildings such as airports and shopping centres will start getting mapped, and if you’re using Apple Maps while driving you’ll benefit from the addition of speed limits for the roads you’re on.

9. Apple Pencil upgrades

Need to take a quick note? You no longer need to unlock your device and launch a relevant app. Instead, just start scribbling on the lock screen with the Apple Pencil.

Whatever you write or draw will be safely saved in the Notes app, so you can easily access it later, and speaking of Notes, a built-in document scanner will now let you scan and crop documents, then sign them with the Apple Pencil.

10. Make your space go further

Storage space is precious, especially on iOS, as you don’t get a microSD card slot. Fortunately, Apple sells most of its devices with huge storage capacities, but if you are running short on space then iOS 11 is here to help.

For one thing, your iMessages are stored in iCloud, which means you don’t need to save them on your device. This also means they’re synced across devices, so if you have an iPhone, an iPad Pro 10.5 and a Mac you can access them on everything.

But with iOS 11 Apple is also changing the format used to save photos and videos, to one that uses less space. This could make a big difference if you tend to take a lot photos or shoot long videos.

11. A better camera

Smaller photo and video files sizes aren’t the only improvement coming to the camera either. Apple is also adding new filters and new features to Live Photos, letting you loop them, or have them bounce backwards and forwards.

12. Pay your friends

Apple Pay is also getting better with iOS 11, letting you make person-to-person payments directly through iMessages, using Touch ID to verify them.

It should be a slick, speedy and seamless way to pay your friends and family, or whoever else you chat with and happen to owe money to.

13. Augmented reality

Apple is making a big push into augmented reality by baking ARKit into iOS 11. This is a developer tool which allows them to add virtual objects to your surroundings when viewed through your iPhone’s or iPad’s camera.

Technically they can already do that, as seen in the likes of Pokémon Go, but this should make it easier, and also allows them to factor in the real-world environment, so in the Pokémon Go example the creatures will look more like they’re in the environment, rather than being pasted awkwardly over the top.

There’s a lot of potential here for other apps and games, including Ikea, which is already set to let you virtually redecorate your home.

14. We’re not done yet

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of iOS 11 is that we probably don’t know everything it has in store for us. There’s every chance Apple has kept something back, or that features will change and improve before launch, so you might be pleasantly surprised when it finally hits your iOS device.

What this means for you

Taken together the improvements in iOS 11 are set to be huge. The iPad in particular should enormously benefit, with things like a dock, drag and drop, keyboard improvements and the Files app making it a multi-tasking machine and bringing productivity up to levels far closer to what you’d get on a desktop computer.

With iOS 11, Apple’s vision for the iPad Pro as a laptop alternative could finally become a reality.

But even if you only have an iPhone or don’t use your tablet for work, you’re sure to appreciate iOS 11. The changes to the interface and the App Store should make everything even more intuitive than before, and generally freshen things up, while everyone is sure to benefit from the improvements to the camera, Siri and storage use.